Razer Announces Razer Forge TV – $100 Android-Powered Gaming Console

Razer 

Earlier this year Gaming company Razer announced that it would be making its way into the Android gaming system. The company has just Announced today at CES the Razer Forge TV. The Razer Forge TV is a $100 Android-Powered Gaming Console which is scheduled for a Q1 release. This is Razer’s way of moving future into the gaming environment by introducing Android power gaming and entertainment via Google Play.

Razor also announced a few bluetooth gaming peripherals, Including the Razer Serval Controller, the Turret keyboard and magnetised mouse.  The Razer Forge TV is designed for up to four simultaneous players. It will run on Razer’s Cortex Stream and focuses on low-latency and HD resolution.

Forge TV Details:

Price: $99.99 (via Razer’s online store)

$149.99 for the Forge TV and Serval Controller bundle

Product Specs:

Qualcomm Snapdragon™ 805 Processor

Quad-Core Krait 450 CPU – 2.5 GHz per core

Adreno™ 420 GPU

2 GB RAM

16 GB storage

Bluetooth 4.1 + HS

HDMI 1.4 output

4.1 in. (105 mm) Width x 4.1 in. (105 mm) Depth x 0.7 in. (17 mm) Height

Asus Zenfone 2 - THE BIG REVIEW

Asus Zenfone 2 - THE BIG REVIEW

This year at CES 2015, Asus has launched the second iteration of its ZenFone series, unveiling the ZenFone 2. Lets have a look at the review of this new exciting smartphone.

PROCESSOR

Asus has a very enviable history of powerful Intel processors. The Zenfone 2 features a LTE-enabled Intel Atom Z3580 processor with four cores that can reach frequencies of up to 2.33 GHz, and a PowerVR G6430 GPU with OpenGL 3.0 support. This processor is proven to be both fast and frugal, so you won't have any issues running the latest and greatest Android software on the ZenFone 2, including heavy 3D games.

DISPLAY

The Asus Zenfone 2 has a Gorilla Glass 3-protected, 5.5-inch panel display with a flagship-standard resolution of 1080 x 1920 pixels, returning an excellent 403 pixels per inch count, and offering 400 nits of brightness. The ZenFone 2 will come in Osmium Black, Sheer Gold, Glacier Gray, Glamor Red and Ceramic White colours.

CAMERA

The Zenfone 2 has a 13-megapixel camera with 5 element, f/2.0 aperture lens, complemented by a dual-color "Real Tone" LED flash. At the front, we're looking at a respectable, 5-megapixel selfie snapper with wide-angle (85-degree) lens, and an option to shoot selfie panoramas. The Pixelmaster software made by Asus is also available

ANDROID

This smartphone runs on Android 5.0 Lollipop operating system. What makes things more interesting is the customized Zen UI. Zen UI has a variety of new features, including ZenMotion, SnapView, Trend Micro Security and Zen UI Instant Updates. It is learnt that Asus has worked a few new tricks into the OS.

MEMORY

The ZenFone 2 starts off with 2 GB of RAM in the basic version, but the more expensive ones will come with 4 GB of RAM, making Zenfone 2 the first smartphone announced with more than 3 GB of RAM, which the native 64-bit Android support. The company has claimed seven times faster gaming performance than the previous ZenFone edition.

BATTERY

The smartphone has a 3000 mAh battery which is quite optimum for 1080p display. It will allow you to restore as much as 60% of the total capacity in as little as 39 minutes.

PRICE

The smartphone is expected to be priced at a good Rs.12,000  for the basic 2 GB RAM version and a bit higher for the higher versions.

Asus Zenfone 2 is a decent phone with good specifications. The 4G LTE smartphone will have its main focus around the powerful Intel processor. It would have been better if the price of the Zenfone 2 is a little bit lower than expected in India.

Detailed Specifications

Processor	64-bit Intel Atom Z3560/Z3580 Quad Core Processor (Running at 1.8/2.3GHz) PowerVR Series 6 - G6430, with OpenGL 3.0 support
Operating System	Brand-new ASUS ZenUI with Android 5.0 Lollipop
Memory	LPDDR3 2GB/4GB RAM/Micro SD card support, up to 64GB
Storage	16GB/32GB/64GB ROM ASUS WebStorage 5GB (lifetime)
Display	5.5-inch, 1920 x 1080 (Full HD), 403ppi IPS display/400nits brightness/ Corning® Gorilla® Glass 3
PixelMaster Cameras	Front: 5MP, f/2.0-aperture, wide-angle (85-degree) lens with Selfie Panorama Rear: 13MP, f/2.0-aperture, 5-element, auto-focus lens with dual-color Real Tone flash PixelMaster features: Low Light mode / Backlight (HDR) mode / Enhanced Beautification mode / Manual mode / Zero shutter lag
Network	LTE speed: Category 4 maximum: 150Mbit/s / DL: 50Mbit/s 4G band: FDD LTE: 1/2/3/4/5/7/8/9/17/18/19/20/28/29 TDD LTE: 38/39/40/41(Network support varies by country)
Battery	3000mAh lithium-polymer, Fast-charging technology
Sensor	Accelerometer, proximity, ambient-light, gyroscopic, digital compass and Hall-effect sensors
Navigation	GPS / A-GPS / GLONASS
Wireless	802.11ac, Wi-Fi Direct, Bluetooth 4.0, NFC
Ports	3.5mm audio jack, dual micro-SIM, micro USB (support OTG)
Color	Glacier Gray / Osmium Black / Glamour Red / Ceramic White / Sheer Gold
Dimensions	152.5 x 77.2 x 10.9 ~ 3.9 mm
Weight	170g

Avy's Elegant Amplifiers in a Tablet

Avy's Elegant Amplifiers in a Tablet

AVY'S SMART SPEAKERS IN A TABLET

Avy's Smart Speakers in a Tablets

Smartphones, tablets and the sort are the new big thing to everyone, who’s anyone, interested in the spectrum of features one may brag about to another. However, despite their all-new technological superiorities against one another, the devices are seen to be neglecting music cravers of today. It is indeed visible that a little attention has been given towards mobile devices regarding development in their audio section by making add on speakers less attractive sound wise. Now the Avy Smart Speakerswill be going to debut at CES 2015 and is designed in a way that Android-based tablet and aHi-Fi system will be merged for the audiophile. Zettally’s Avy Smart Amplifier is connected via internet device focusing on the flexibility of a tablet combined with great stereo potential weighing about 1kg (2.2 lb). Yeah, it sounds a bit odd to actually carry it around in the market but it’s meant for domestic use that "will turn on the soundtrack, connected to your life," but that device can still be portable.

The Avy is actually a tablet itself and doesn’t need any stand accompanied with powerful amplifers, we’re talking big here. It is a brilliantly elegant all-in-one sort of thing, not needing external additions. It has a Lollipop (5.0) OS enabling it to run common apps as well, while instating a musical playlist for the entire day with songs being streamed from the net, another device or Avy’s own memory even.

Apart from that videos can be streamed from Youtube and Hulu with a content display on screen through HDMI or Chromecast. Hence it is a perfect accessory for comforting and workout and can be used as a television in kitchen, providing interface to Skype, or as an alarm clock.

The Avy comes in black or white colors, is driven by a quad-core ARM 1.0 GHz processor with DDRIII RAM of 1 GB.  A memory of 8 to 32 GB and can be extended up to 64 GB via microSD cards. For connectivity it supports Wi-Fi 802.11b/g/n and Bluetooth 4.0. It requires a power of a 14.8 Wh from rechargeable battery of lithium-polymer. Avy controlled through 7 inch screen of TFT with capacitive touch with 1024 x 600 pixels and also controlled remotely. A device also supports video conferencing through front-facing VGA camera and integrated microphone.

The two speakers of 5 Watt are the main attraction with proprietary sound chamber and waveguide. The speakers dimensions justify within the specification of Avy that is 35 x 11.7 x 12 cm (13.7 x 4.6 x 4.7 in) and attracting public towards its pace at CES where Zettally hopes to attract the sponsors in order to go for a kick starter campaign to meet its initial amount of US$50,000 that is going to be started at 12 of Feb.

After campaign the Standard model will be for US$129 and the Pro for $169. The retail price has not been set whereas after 12 Feb the pre orders will be for US$169 and US$229.

Sony schemes the two flavors of the Xperia Z4 for the customer

Sony 

As the New Year started many famous companies are preparing for the market race. Sony is also ready for this race, as the giant brings the Xperia Z4 for its customer.

The source reveals that a Japanese multinational Sony brings two editions of Xperia Z3 and Taiwanese source is suggesting that they’ll get both an FHD edition and a QHD (or 2K) model when the new leading hits sometime this year.

That’s a 1080 x 1920 (FHD) display for one Z4 – perhaps a cheaper offering for less established markets – and a full fat 1440 x 2560 (QHD) display for the other one. The screen size itself wouldn’t alter.

The source proves that a lower resolution for one Z4 telephone set would alter Sony to stay prices down and maybe improve battery life at constant time. Whether or not you {will be} able to choose from one or each of the handsets will most likely depend upon that region you are in.

Heard it through the grapevine the sources contacted by ePrice in Taiwan also are suggesting that we’ll see higher waterproofing on the new handsets furthermore as Associate in Nursing improvement to the front-facing camera. Ashiny metal frame goes to stretch round the edges of the phone, the sources say.

If you have been grouping Z4 rumors over the past few months then you may grasp that a 64-bit a pair of.8GHz octal-core flower 810 processor, 4GB of RAM, Associate in Nursing Adreno 430 GPU, 32GB of storage Associate in Nursing an Exmore RS CMOS camera sensing element are all on the cards – those are some eye-watering specs.

The customers got to wait to ascertain what materializes, though; it’s going to feels like a decent bet for a unharness date. The user hoped to ascertain the Sony Xperia Z4 at CES in the week, however it seems solely a pick few were able to lay eyes thereon.

Razer Releases Streaming Box, VR Headset, and Much More

Razer 

c
Las Vegas-Today Razer had a blast with the press. They released a load of new devices for consumers and developers. They released a streaming box, VR Headset, new android controller, Razer Cortez Gamestream, and a new living room keyboard.

Razer’s new VR headset,OSVR, is taking on Oculus. They just released their developers headset for $200. This is really cool and cheap technology that Razer is getting into. It will be very interesting to see what they can do especially using VR and their Gamestream technology.

The new Android TV streaming box that Razer announced today is amazing. It is the true streaming box for gamers. It lets you stream everything from Android TV plus Cortex Gamestream. Cortex Gamestream lets gamers stream any game from their PC to the Streaming box in any room of their house. The best part is that the new Android Controller is compatible with Gamestream and playing casual Android games on your TV. If you are a Keyboard and mouse guy you are in luck. Razer also announced a new keyboard that has a built in mousepad that is very easy and comfortable to sit on your lap.

We like the way Razer is trying to be everywhere in your gaming life but is it possible for them to achieve. I guess we will just have to let time tell.

Say Hello to Manav Robot a 3d Printed Humanoid from India

 Manav Robot 

‘Manav’ means human or man in Hindi, is an Indian 3d Printed Humanoid Robot which was launched over the last weekend at Mumbai IIT Tech Fest 2015. Build and developed by A-SET Training & Research Institute from Delhi. Build with the aim to get Robotics researchers have access on an affordable platform to research on, Manav the robot does not disappoint.

 The developers of Manav run a technical training institute in the capital of India, New Delhi. This project was more of a capability show off for the institute which came out with flying colors. This humanoid robot stands 2 feet Tall, has 2 cameras and sensors which can tell it which side the sound is coming from. 21 separate servos motors allow the robot to conduct Headstands, Push ups as well as write with the help of a pen.

Until now Robotics is a subject which can only be taught at higher universities because the cost of parts required to teach was very expensive, however with MANAV Robot things can change. A-set Plans to sell this Humanoid Robot at an affordable price of 1.5 to 2.5 lack Indian Rupee. The use of 3d Printer means that the developer can customized Robots to its customers. I would request the developers to share the 3d printable files with the  community,  upload the source code of the software that runs the robot, and let people know what kind of motors and hardware was used to make Manav Robot. A closed Source Manav is not worth the effort, it would become more of a toy for the rich Indian brats.

The developer also promises that Manav can play football, Which I am skeptical off as I have not seen this robot walk. But who knows we might just see it at the Robocup this year, flexing its motors with some of the best robots from around the world.

Big Boys Toys

Anker USB 3.0 7-Port Hub Review ( Model AH240 )

Disclosure: I received this product free because I answered a survey Anker posted on Facebook and they randomly selected one contributor for the month.  They actually gave me the choice of any Anker product they had available, and I decided on this hub.  There was no requirement to post a review.

Just in case you didn't read the disclosure above, I won the opportunity to get any Anker product I wanted.  As I looked at the various products Anker has available, I narrowed in on this hub.  To me, the main selling point was that it essentially acts as two devices:

1) When connected to a computer, it is acts as a USB 3.0 Hub.
2) When not connected to a computer, it acts as a multiple port charger.

Anker USB 3 hub with USB 3 cable and power supply

As a USB 3.0 Hub, the Anker AH240 does the job well.  It does not specifically call out how much current it provides for normal devices, but I am sure it supports the 0.9A per USB 3 spec.  For devices that are "BC 1.2-compliant" it can support up to 1.5A even in data mode.

To test the performance as a USB 3.0 hub, I used Ubuntu to benchmark an external hard drive connected directly and via the Anker hub and the performance was essentially the same (less the 0.5% difference).  I added a USB 2.0 device to the hub to see if there was an impact, and it made no difference.  The hub worked with every device I threw at it -- USB thumb drives, USB to SATA adapters, and a Nexus 7 tablet.

As a multi-port charger, when you disconnect the computer it can provide up to 2A per port (total of 10A for the unit) which is more than enough to keep a few phones / tablets charged up.

Here are the main points I noticed about this product:

Ease of use: Basically hook up the power, hook up the USB to the computer and you are good to go.

Design: I like the look of the hub, it had a clean/simple design and I did like the fact that each port had a blue LED to indicate when there was data connectivity.  There was no indicator for power, but with most devices there is a way to know if they are getting power (phones/tablets show they are charging for example).

Bottom Line: This product acts as two products - a USB 3.0 hub and a multi-port charger.  Even if it only served one of these roles I would say it was a good product, but for it to serve both functions makes it impressive.  For the traveling tech user that has multiple USB devices, this is a great single device to not only serve as a hub but also as a charging station for your tech gadgets.